Thiruvananthapuram: Eighty-six-year-old Mariyakutty – a daily wage labourer who has been protesting against a delay in social welfare pension to her – will move the High Court against the CPI(M) mouthpiece ‘Deshabhimani’ for “portraying her in a wrong light”.
It all began on November 10 when a section of media, including Deshabhimani, criticised the elderly woman’s protest with a begging bowl, the video of which went viral at her home district- Idukki.
She was protesting the delay in social welfare pension due to her and others when crores of rupees were being spent on ‘Keralayeem’ in the first week of this month in the state capital.
Soon after, a news surfaced that Mariyakutty owns 1.5 acres of land and two houses and her daughter is based out of Switzerland. It alleged that she has joined ranks with the Congress party to malign Pinarayi Vijayan government’s reputation.
The woman then decided to take the fight into the enemy camp and approached the local village officer and submitted an application to find her land and other assets.
After the due process of inspection, the authorities issued a certificate stating that she doesn’t own any assets.
It was also learnt that her daughter resides in Adimali not in Switzerland as claimed and ekes out a living by selling lottery tickets.
Now, Mariyakutty announced that she will approach the High Court .
This morning, the CPI(M) party organ came out with a rejoinder and apologised for its report.
“I am not going to sit idle as I want the 1.5 acres of the land they mentioned. While I will keep one acre for myself, they ( those who said that I own) can keep the remaining. I will definitely file the case, as they portrayed me in a bad light. All I did was to beg as I did not get my social welfare pension and is begging for a living wrong? I want to know,” said a determined Mariyakutty.
After being deserted by her husband 36 years ago, Mariyakutty toiled hard to bring up her four children and all the media glitz and the smear campaign has made her a star in her village. “Now, I am getting threats also, but I will go ahead with it,” she asserted.
–IANS